Azula Alone
by Backinafew
Summary: Warning: Spoilers! Based on the events from the episode, The Boiling Rock, season 3. How does Azula react to her friends' decision? Three scenes, three friends, one chance for escape. Delves into the mind of the Fire Nation Princess. Complete.
1. Scene 1: The Princess

**Author's Note:** Warning! Major spoilers if you haven't watched Episode 15 of Avatar season three, The Boiling Rock. Don't read unless you've seen it!

Characters from Avatar: the Last Airbender belong to Nickelodeon

* * *

**Scene 1: The Princess**

* * *

"What is she _doing_?!"

A low, seething hiss followed the exclamation as amber eyes flashed incredulously down towards the gondola landing. Of course, even from the top of the slowly descending gondola, it was painfully clear what the governor's daughter was doing as she moved with catlike grace and deadly precision around the surrounding prison guards. Had Azula not been familiar with Mai's unique talent, she might have been puzzled by the way the guards seemed to find themselves suddenly pinned, one by one, against the nearby walls, struggling against some invisible force that held them in place. As the gondola continued to descend, however, the silver flash of various sharp knives could be seen as they sped toward their targets with incredible accuracy.

The Fire Nation Princess felt the heat rise against her palms as she momentarily struggled to take in the scene.

_Mai…her loyal assassin…part of her elite team…_

It simply refused to register.

Azula was rarely taken by surprise when it came to predicting another's thoughts, emotions, motives, anything really. After all, she did consider herself a people person. Even now, as her eyes focused on Mai, threatening to burn a hole right through her with the intensity of her gaze, a nasty voice in the back of her mind reminded her that she had already known that some form of confrontation lay ahead. That it had been inevitable. Ever since she had realized that the feelings her gloomy friend had harbored for her idiot brother as a child had somehow managed to survive those long years of his exile, Azula had predicted a minor obstacle. A slight annoyance. A pathetic hindrance that would perhaps be remedied with a stern lecture on where her friend's loyalties should lie.

But not this. As aggravating as it was, Azula grudgingly admitted that she had not predicted this. Hadn't Mai realized the enormity of her decision when she threw that first knife at a prison guard? Didn't she understand the consequences that action would entail? And there _would _be consequences, Azula thought to herself as her teeth clenched violently together, her unnaturally long nails digging painfully into the flesh of her palms.

_How had she allowed this to happen?_

Betrayal was not something new to her, but she had always been able to predict it. Always. Princess Azula, fire prodigy at the age of five and daughter of Fire Lord Oazi _knew _when a person loyal to her was having second thoughts, when that person was about to make the fatal mistake of crossing her. She could read in their eyes. Pathetic people were like that, displaying emotion so that anyone, especially someone as talented at reading people as she, could, at a glance, know the thoughts that person wished to keep secret. Azula often used this talent to take advantage of lesser individuals, to find their all too abundant weaknesses and exploit them for her own means. It was easy and it was fun. And it didn't matter who it was either; a water peasant could be read just as easily as someone as powerful as the leader of the Earth Kingdom Dai Li…

Though, admittedly, Mai had been different. Her continuously bored demeanor effectively hid any hint of emotion, anything that might betray her, even from the princess herself. Azula acidly wondered now if the assassin used this as a façade for that very reason, as protective measure so that her enemies never knew when she would strike. Obviously it had worked, Azula thought to herself as she continued to forcibly grind her teeth together.

The whole situation was almost too infuriating for her to stand. On top of losing her prey, who were now happily escaping her clutches because of Mai's idiocy, she was know going to have to deal with something infinitely worse – treason. Worse because this sort of thing couldn't be corrected with an intimidating lecture. No, dangerous thoughts of this kind had to be forcibly extracted with punishment, harsh punishment, if they could be extracted at all.

It felt like an eternity before the sluggish gondola finally reached the platform. Surprisingly the clumsy, incompetent prison guards had actually managed to capture Mai, regretfully stealing the opportunity for Azula to do it herself. A fresh wave of anger had washed over her as she lept deftly to ground and strode over to her quarry in one swift motion. Her fists flexed rapidly, pushing her claw-like nails further into her palms until one actually punctured her skin. The trembling needed to stop. The ragged breathing needed to cease. She wanted to appear calm, cold, unaffected by this sudden turn of events that had left her shattered.

Azula came to a halt. She'd managed to smooth her features by now, to cover her emotion, and yet she stood farther away than she might have for any other prisoner. Ty Lee stood nearby as well, the fear blatantly expressed on the acrobat's normally cheerful face. However, Azula's attention was focused solely on Mai now. Her pair of glowering golden eyes was the only thing that revealed the absolute rage that threatened to burst from her at any moment. They raked over the other girl's form and then settled on her cold, emotionless face, hoping to pierce her with their intensity. To Azula's utter annoyance, the governor's daughter did not even show a hint of remorse for her outrageous act, not even a trace of fear behind those narrow, blank eyes.

Didn't she _care_?! Didn't she feel _something_ after betraying her?! Didn't it hurt at all…

Then, suddenly, the question of how she had allowed this to happen transformed into the question of how Mai could do this to her. To _her_. Mai was one of those rare individuals that Azula had granted her admiration. Didn't she realize what an honor that was? They had grown up together, went to the Academy together and now everything had been thrown away. Azula could no longer trust her loyal assassin. The trio was down to two. The sudden lump that formed in the princess's throat constricted her breathing and made it difficult to think. All she wanted at the moment was to throw herself at the slender girl and tear her apart, _force _her to feel sorry for causing this ache, for weakening her with emotion. Azula would make sure that Mai was punished, _tortured_ until she cried out to be accepted by her again.

But now here was a curious thing. Rather than intensifying her hatred, as Azula had expected, the sight of the depressed, darkly clothed girl who, having finally surrendered to the overwhelming number of guards surrounding her, stood resolutely despite the obvious fear she must have felt, made the princess pause. She couldn't do it. No, it wasn't that she couldn't, rather, she didn't _want _to. This was the kind of strength she wanted to surround herself with, not punish. Azula didn't want to lock her away, she wanted to slap her, she wanted to scream at her to snap out of it and let things return to the way they were. But again that nasty voice in her head reminded her that this wasn't an option. Mai had changed things. Changed them forever.

Finally, as these thoughts ran rapidly through her mind, Azula spoke to the guards, careful to keep her voice even.

"Leave us alone."

The guards immediately took their leave without question, leaving the tall slender girl to stand alone. Silence reigned as the two faced each other.

"I never expected this from you."

It wasn't a total lie. Azula had honestly believed that a treasonous act from Mai would come in the form of reluctance rather than initiative. After another pause, the princess continued, voicing the thought that was eating at her like acid.

"The thing I don't understand is why, why would you do it? You know the consequences…"

Her voice was still icy, biting as she spoke, fighting to hold back her rage. And yet, it held a slight pleading note, barely distinguishable and hidden among the bitterness. She waited impatiently for a response as the furrow in her brow deepened. The stubborn girl in front of her raised her chin a fraction of an inch in defiance and spoke. Her husky voice sounded just as bored as usual, just as condescending and hardheaded as Azula had expected.

"I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated."

Then those fatal words.

"I love Zuko more than I fear you."

Azula's chin snapped back as the words washed over her, drowning her in shock. Mai's scathing words had accomplished something rare and nearly impossible in Azula.

They had struck a nerve.

In an instant, the fortress that had managed to hold back the Fire Nation Princess's wrath crumbled suddenly as absolute rage consumed her entire being. Her bright, golden eyes widened in fury, her face contorted to form an ugly visage that expressed all the emotion she'd worked so hard to keep veiled behind a mask of indifference.

"No, _you _miscalculated! You should have feared me more!" she screamed venomously, her lip curling dangerously into a snarl. The words exploded from her mouth in an attempt to show Mai just how wrong she was, how fearsome she could be. In fact, she would teach her right now, Azula thought to herself, her expression almost mad as she trembled, irrational thoughts possessing her mind. She positioned herself, her hands raised and ready to strike. Maybe in death, Mai's eyes wouldn't appear so bored. Perhaps when she was gone, this aching sense of betrayal would be replaced with a new feeling, something bearable.

But just as she was about to summon the lightening to her fingertips and release all her anguish, her arm went completely limp.

An incredulous gasp escaped Azula's lips as she realized in a split second what had happened. The pink clad acrobat struck another paralyzing blow to the princess's side, making her powerless to stop herself from collapsing to the ground with a sickening thud. But the pain of the hard stone slab as it slammed against her face was nothing compared to the sinking sensation she felt. The realization that she possessed no control of the situation, no control over her own body, overwhelmed her with a sense of helplessness that nearly drove her insane.

She felt _vulnerable_.

The shame, that foreign emotion, almost rivaled the other that threatened to consume her in her weakened state. If she had been surprised at Mai's betrayal, Ty Lee's subsequent treachery nearly sent her over the edge of despair. Ty Lee, the over active, bubbly girl who never hesitated to compliment Azula on her ability to command attention and strategize…had apparently chosen Mai over her. Foolish girl! If she wanted to share in Mai's punishment then so be it! Azula blinked back the hot, angry moisture in her eyes and willed the rage to return so it could crush any trace of weak emotion left in her. Those traitors…They were no friends of hers…

"Come on! Let's get outta here!" Ty Lee exclaimed fearfully, sounding just as shocked by her own actions as Azula. She rushed to Mai and began tugging her towards the gondola. However, it was all in vein. The guards, alarmed by the commotion on the landing, had returned to quickly surround the two Fire Nation girls who were roughly grabbed and held captive. Two of the guards rushed to the fallen princess's side, hesitating fearfully before deciding to lift her up by the arms.

"You're _both _fools!" Azula spat, her voice dripping with bitterness. Her cheeks burned with humiliation as she relied on the two prison guards to hold her up.

"What shall we do with them, Princess?" one of them asked, motioning towards the traitors.

Their princess's eyes were filled with hatred as they locked onto her once loyal companions, causing Ty Lee to flinch and look away. Azula's breathing was ragged again and had she not been paralyzed from the neck down she would have lunged at them both, claws ready.

"Put them somewhere I'll never have to see their faces again. And let them _rot_!"

And then they were gone. Carried deep down somewhere within the confines of the prison to be tossed into some faraway, forgotten cell where they would be isolated from other prisoners. Where they could starve for all she cared. They were dead to her. Maybe someday, though, she would visit them and listen to their pathetic cries for forgiveness before she slammed the iron door in their faces…

.

.

.

.

Weeks passed...

Grief did not.

.

The violent sobs echoing through the empty corridor leading to the Fire Nation Princess's chambers were faint and largely unnoticed by the servants of the palace. Had they noticed, they probably would not have been bothered with sympathy anyway. Possessing the ability to control others with fear came with a price after all – isolation. Of course, eventually a few of the servants began noticing traces of burnt tapestries and other objects in their Princess's wing, eerily left charred and smoking in dark silence. But they were easily replaced.

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**A/N:**Ever since I watched The Beach, I've been faniscinated with Azula's character. I mean, that episode totally humanized her! I really hope we see more character development for her in future eps.

Find out how Azula deals with her prisoners when the temptation to see them becomes too great in the next chapter!


	2. Scene 2: The Acrobat

**Author's Note:** Warning! Major spoilers if you haven't watched Episode 15 of Avatar season three, The Boiling Rock. Don't read unless you've seen it!

Characters from Avatar: the Last Airbender belong to Nickelodeon

* * *

**Scene 2: The Acrobat**

* * *

She had requested a visit and Azula, being the merciful Princess that she was, had obliged. After all, a brief journey to the Boiling Rock was only a minor interruption in her war preparations. And besides, the zeppelin to take her there had already been prepared. Weeks ago.

So here she was, deep within the confines of the stench ridden prison, staring at the bubbly acrobat who blinked back a reservoir of unspent tears.

"I never wanted anything like this to happen…"

"Shh…" Azula responded softly, "I know…" In a carefully calculated gesture, the princess used her thumb to gently brush away a tear that had slipped from Ty Lee's flooded gray eyes.

"And I certainly never wanted to have to choose between my two best friends! I just didn't want to see either of you hurt."

"Of course not…" Azula's voice was dangerously smooth now as she opened her arms invitingly. The guards immediately released their captive who collapsed into outstretched arms with sobs of relief.

"Oh Azula, take us out of this wretched place! It's just been…I can't describe…Mai's uncle, they forced him into the lake!…said something about his vow on escaped prisoners…and he was going to let us go, he was going to free us from the very beginning…"

Ty Lee's outburst was interrupted by soft gasps as she tried to catch her breath. Her fingers clenched desperately around folds of clothing while she continued to cling to the princess, trembling.

"I don't want to be here," she finally croaked.

Azula pulled the girl roughly from her embrace, hands like vices around her forearms. But when she spoke, her words were drizzled with honey.

"Poor thing, I know you don't. Believe me, it's been almost as painful for me as it has been for you…" Had Ty Lee's eyes not been clouded with moisture, she might have noticed the victorious smirk that tugged at Azula's lips.

_Almost._

"As for Mai's poor, unfortunate uncle…you should have known that I was the only one with the power to grant you freedom."

The acrobat's gaze, which had drifted to the floor, snapped up suddenly as her fearful eyes searched falsely sympathetic ones.

"So you'll let us go…"

The statement was more like a question, laced with uncertainty and doubt. Azula's expression immediately feigned surprise.

"Oh Ty Lee! Of course!"

Her response quickly subdued the pink-clad girl who let her head fall limply forward, hanging in relief. The princess continued.

"That day you struck me…you were acting out of fear, out of confusion for Mai's…puzzling behavior." Azula spoke softly and sweetly, as if she were trying to explain something complicated to a child. Her grip on Ty Lee's forearms, however, tightened viciously when she mentioned Mai's treasonous act. Her captive twitched but remained silent.

"Don't you realize? I did the same thing when I locked you away in this icky old prison. Now we've both come to our senses, you see…I can tell that you realize the mistake you made, the awful…awful…I'm letting you come back to me now."

Azula's voice had become just above a whisper. Even as they bore relentlessly into the helpless acrobat, her golden eyes remained wild and distant, her breath shallow. Hadn't she predicted this time would come? Well, Mai had remained stubborn, but at least one was crawling at her feet. Whimpering in her clutches. The feeling of control flooding into her was intoxicating. She allowed it to overwhelm her senses.

"This whole nasty business…it didn't need to happen…we'll pretend it never did…"

Ty Lee squirmed uncomfortably in Azula's increasingly tightening grip.

"Mmm…Azula…you're hurting me…"

The princess relinquished her possessive hold, allowing blood flow to return to the girl's arms before turning sharply towards the door.

"Come Ty Lee, this place is depressing. I'm sure there are others in the Fire Nation who are anxious for your return."

The addressed stumbled forward obediently, but the sinking sensation in her stomach was getting harder to ignore. She hesitated.

"But Mai…"

"Mai regretfully still needs time to mull things over," Azula snapped. Ty Lee blinked at the sudden transformation in the princess's demeanor. Realization washed over the girl suddenly, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. She swallowed.

"You only came for me."

The claw-like hand paused, still hovering over the door handle. Without looking back, Azula responded in a cold voice, pulling savagely on the strings of her restored puppet.

"The zeppelin will be returning to the mainland shortly. Those of us wishing to return with it had better board immediately, or not board at all…"

So it was a choice. Azula was forcing her to choose again, only this time Ty Lee knew she had better choose correctly. This time the consequences would be worse and Azula was making that painfully obvious. Ty Lee bit her lip, suppressing another wave of tears before she spoke again.

"Will I ever see her again?"

The small space around them instantly grew unbearably warm as Azula swung around suddenly, fists blazing with blue flame that briefly illuminated the dim prison corridor. Her eyes were wide and her teeth bared as electricity coursed through her.

"Of course you will! I will let her out, just as soon as she _begs_ me to!" She screamed violently, a strand of loose hair draped wildly across her face.

Then it was quiet.

Muffled echoes from the deafening outburst reverberated from the maze of metal corridors around them, filling the tense silence that followed. Ty Lee stared, then blinked, sending rivulets of moisture cascading down now gaunt cheeks. In desperation, she at last dared to speak again, though her fearful eyes dropped submissively from the princess's piercing gaze.

"Will you…will you let me say goodbye…?" she whispered. Instinctively, she cringed as the words left her mouth, expecting another explosion or possibly a painful encounter with the back of a hand.

She was met with neither.

Instead, when she opened her eyes, she discovered a faint, feral grin threatening to reveal itself fully on Azula's face.

"Ty Lee," the princess sang softly, dangerously, mimicking puzzlement, "why would you need to say goodbye? Haven't I just told you that you'd see her again…"

The princess's loyal friend looked past the wicked golden eyes as the door behind them opened. In marched a procession of prison guards, one of them clutching a burning rod, the kind used to brand the royal seal onto the thick, leathery hide of fire lizards.

Pain. Excruciating pain.

Ty Lee saw it dancing like fire in Azula's eyes as the princess gleefully watched the soldiers open the door to Mai's cell. A sort of mad, lustful glee, wrapped in pain and infinitely sad.

"…just as soon as she begs me…" Azula repeated, eyes flickering back to her prize. She was whispering again.

"Come Ty Lee, this place is depressing…"

.

.

.

.

Days passed...

Pain did not.

.

The daughter of the nobleman, the circus star, sat curled up on the plush cushion, watching the poor beetle as it struggled in vain to push through the invisible barrier that was the windowpane. She reached out a feeble hand to help it.

"Sit up, Ty Lee, he's here."

The Princess of the Fire Nation sat comfortably poised next to her friend as the portrait was completed. Her noble chin was raised slightly and her eyes occasionally glanced to the third cushion that had been tossed aside, deemed unnecessary. No matter, by the time she scheduled the next portrait it would find its use…

Perhaps if Azula had glanced in the other direction she might have seen the solitary tear that tickled Ty Lee's chin. The painter saw it but paid no heed. His job was to capture silhouettes, not emotion.

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**A/N: **Poor Azula, descending into madness. Not pleasant for her or anyone around her. Think Ty Lee is going to sit back and watch it happen? And what about Mai? I wonder if she'll break...Find the answers to these questions and more in the next and final scene!


	3. Scene 3: The Assassin

**Author's Note:** Warning! Major spoilers if you haven't watched Episode 15 of Avatar season three, The Boiling Rock. Don't read unless you've seen it!

Characters from Avatar: the Last Airbender belong to Nickelodeon

* * *

**Scene 3: The Assassin**

* * *

The rats were mocking her.

Those slimy, overgrown rodents would roam freely in every corner of her damp prison cell squeaking triumphant little cackles at her helplessness. It was almost as if they _knew _her knives had been taken from her, shamefully stripped away until every one of her concealed trajectories was gone.

Mai found that it felt remarkably unsettling not to feel the familiar shape of a blade hidden anywhere among the folds of her clothing. It was also insufferably annoying not to be able to deal with those disgusting varmints with the casual flick of her wrist that would, under normal circumstances, send shards of metal flying. She could so _easily_ skewer every one of them, hit any target she pleased, in fact. Just like those clumsy prison guards that day on the gondola landing. Of course, she hadn't actually killed any of them, she'd merely prevented them from stopping her while she went about saving someone who didn't even deserve it…someone she loved...

Ugh, it sounded so mushy when she thought about it like that. Why was she thinking about it anyway? Zuko had chosen a different path, they'd gone their separate ways…

…and she was never going to see him again…

The rats, the ones she'd been wishing to make targets, froze suddenly in unison, and then began scrambling frantically in a frenzy to hide themselves in one of the many crevasses of the moist, crumbling prison walls. Seconds later the thick, iron door swung open, but not before the Fire Nation assassin had quickly masked any emotion her last thoughts had evoked.

Mai didn't have to look up to know who it was. She actually found it a little eerie that Azula seemed to have sensed that moment of weakness in her and chosen to enter right then. But whatever. Azula could play all the games she wanted. That just meant she'd be distracted from conducting any sort of manhunt for her brother. Mai focused on relaxing the tension in her muscles. She found that thought rather comforting as she prepared to deal with the princess.

"Please tell me you're here to kill me…"

Mai's voice was layered thick with sarcasm as she spoke in her usual husky, monotone voice. Annoying Azula was so easy. Inwardly, she smirked as the words left her mouth, realizing grimly that she'd said something very similar the day Azula had arrived to Omashu to request her services in capturing the Avatar. How ironic.

"Kill you? Silly, why would I do that!"

Mai blinked, her narrow eyes widening in shock.

The gasp that escaped her echoed faintly in the cramped cell. She refused to believe it, even as she feebly lifted her head to stare dazedly at the figure who bounced gracefully into the room.

"Ty Lee…"

No, it wasn't her, _couldn't_ be her. She was gone, she'd been taken away some time in the night, days ago, to some horrible location far away. Mai had woken one day to find that she could no longer hear bumps and clanks coming from the cell next door, the sounds of her acrobatic friend attempting to do handstands while chained to the wall. Nor could she hear the whispered, cheerful encouragements that had come from a source of incurable hopefulness in her bubbly friend.

Because they had _taken _her.

They'd stolen Mai's greatest support, making it infinitely harder to remain strong under Azula's thumb.

Yet here she was. It had to be a hallucination. A cruel, cruel hallucination.

But the arms that began encircling her felt too real. Unfortunately, so did the sting on her wrist as the metal that kept her chained to the wall rubbed savagely against the already raw flesh underneath.

"Oh! Sorry!" Ty Lee exclaimed, drawing back when she saw Mai grimace at the pain. She began delicately examining her friend's wrist with slender, nimble fingers. Her cool hands felt welcome on the tender skin.

"Ty…Ty Lee…"

Mai found herself choking on the name as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. Her normally stoic face was having difficulty covering the emotion that threatened to overwhelm her. Hearing the catch in her voice, the acrobat's arms immediately returned to wrap themselves around Mai's thinning frame, careful this time not to let the chain pull on her wrist.

"Forgive me," Ty Lee whispered, her gray eyes suddenly clouded with guilt, "but I just _had_ to leave, and I knew bending to Azula was the only option. It was the only way I could think of to get us both out…I knew you'd never break."

Mai's eyes had drifted closed during the embrace but now they opened immediately. The whole situation felt like a fragile dream. She couldn't help but worry that if she clung too desperately to it, it would shatter into a thousand shimmering pieces.

"You came back to get me out?" she murmured.

"Well of course," Ty Lee giggled in response, "did you think I just stopped by to visit?"

Her expression suddenly became somber again as her gaze swept over the other girl's arms and legs. Her brow creased with anxiety as she searched.

"Mai…"

The assassin shifted to study her face, hearing the panicked edge in her voice.

"…The night I left with Azula…I saw the guards carrying…it l-looked like they were p-planning to…"

Mai instantly knew what she was referring to and her light, gold eyes flickered to one of the dark corners of the cell where the hot iron, now cooled, lay tossed aside, forgotten. Her gaze turned back to her friend, whose eyes where now glistening.

"Ty Lee, they didn't use it."

Mai's reassuring statement was met with a gasp and then a sigh of relief.

"But I saw -!"

"They threatened. Woke me up that night…brought it awfully close…" Her expression stiffened. "But I called their bluff. Azula was always one to favor mental torture over messy physical methods. You said you saw them bring it in? That was cleverly planned, she killed two birds with one stone…"

Ty Lee listened with wide eyes, unused to hearing so much coming from Mai. She raised her hand at one point and lightly ran a slender finger along a faint bruise on one of Mai's cheekbones, her jaw line tightening visibly at the sight of the purple mark.

"If she doesn't do physical pain, then what's this?"

"One of the guards couldn't handle a little jab…"

Ty Lee's face melted into a sad smile.

"You're stronger than me, Mai."

"No, just more stubborn."

Her remark earned her a giggle from the pink-clad girl who then lept suddenly to her feet.

"Oh, Mai! I almost forgot! There's someone else here to see you…"

Mai raised her eyebrows quizzically. Ty Lee had sung her last sentence in that mischievous tone that was all too familiar to her. It was the same tone Ty Lee would tease her in whenever she thought her friend was thinking about –

"Zuko."

Mai found that she could only mouth the name, unable to push the necessary amount of air past her lips to make a sound. The figure who had appeared in the doorway anxiously shifted from one foot to the other as he fiddled with the edge of his tunic. His good eye expressed genuine concern for the girl who sat chained to the wall and he opened his mouth suddenly before awkwardly closing it again.

The assassin mimicked his shy silence, feeling her cheeks grow warm. At first Mai wasn't sure if it was because she felt indignant at the sight of him or…something much different…Either way, it was difficult to wrap her mind around, everything was happening so fast. Ty Lee was here, Zuko was here, she was going to be rescued…

After a moment's hesitation, Zuko crossed the length of the cell in three enormous strides, dropping to his knees beside Mai. His expression was almost desperate, as if he wanted nothing more than to say something to her but for some reason couldn't find the right words. One gold-toned eye widened, however, at the sight of the light bruise on Mai's cheek.

"Did they hurt you…?" he breathed, speaking for the first time. His rough, callused hands reached out to gently cup her face between his palms and he held her with surprising tenderness. He let his thumb run smoothly across the bruise.

"Yeah, but I deserved that one," Mai responded softly, not even minding the drop of moisture that made it's way down her angular cheek to rest on Zuko's hand. A slight smile tugged at the corner of the Fire Nation prince's mouth at her comment.

"Zuko helped me get here after I left to find him and the Avatar," Ty Lee began chattering animatedly, occasionally throwing fond looks at the adorable sight of them. "That cutie was with him too, what's his name? Anyway, I could never have _infiltrated_ this place by myself! It was hard enough finding our cells again in that maze of hallways." She giggled. "You know, we should probably get out of here quick. We're not the only fugitives, Mai. Zuko is a wanted man by the Fire Nation…and not just by all the girls," she added with a mischievous grin.

Mai rolled her eyes at the comment, though she found that she was reluctant to take them off her prince for even a second.

The three of them were so wrapped up with the relief of being reunited, they didn't spot the fourth figure stalk into the room and lean casually against the doorframe.

"Ugh, Ty Lee, it makes me positively _nauseous _to hear my brother described like that…"

In the silence that followed, a faintly sinister dripping sound could be heard echoing from some distant corridor of the damp, underground portion of the prison.

The three of them had frozen suddenly in horror, in unison, much like the rats had earlier, at the sound of the sneering drawl from the doorway. The dark form of the Fire Nation Princess blocked out the torchlight coming from the open door, creating a shadow that fell across Mai's face. With the light from the corridor behind her and the surrounding darkness of the tiny cell, it was almost impossible to see Azula's expression. For all they knew, she could have been smiling at them – like a cat at three cornered mice.

"Well…" she whispered, finally breaking the silence, "Mai and Zuko, together again. How…touching…" Despite the obvious sarcasm of her words, Azula's voice was now difficult to decipher, as it was far from sneering or even menacing. She simply spoke, toneless.

"And Ty Lee…shall I add acting to your list of abilities?"

Though they couldn't see it, Azula's face was as blank as the tone of her voice. Her eyes didn't rest on anyone of them in particular, rather they appeared distant, the fiery anguish they'd held for too long extinguished at last.

From her place at the doorway, she watched Zuko instinctively shift closer to Mai while Ty Lee sat stiff and motionless, as if told to sit up straight. She supposed the three of them considered themselves bold, sitting there in defiance, but they were scared. It was obvious from their shallow breathing and that distinct frozen look in their eyes as they refused to turn their heads directly towards her. It was a look that Azula had come to relish, but now…now it didn't quite have the same effect, which was aggravating.

Still, she could sense the fear in the room that simply _exuberated _from them, as if she were going to attack them at any moment.

Well wasn't she?

She should.

Azula should be furious, ready to fly at them with blazing fists and sharp claws to tear their pathetic beings apart. The traitors. They hadn't even looked back at her that day on the gondola landing when Ty Lee had shouted to get out of there. No hesitation from either of them, no second thoughts. Not even a glance at the princess's shocked face as it peered beseechingly up at them from her crumpled, defeated form.

So they hadn't seen it.

They hadn't seen the emotion that had betrayed her in that split second before she was able to regain control. Able to replace that emotion with one equally as powerful. Rage.

The princess's form swayed very slightly and she swallowed, fighting to keep her face blank, even though she knew the others couldn't make out her expression.

She wondered briefly what each of them was thinking, whether they were anticipating her to lash out suddenly, mechanically, and dispatch them one by one, like some sort of machine designed specifically for trapping and eliminating others. Perhaps they believed it would be easy and painless for her, maybe even comforting for the daughter of the Fire Lord not to be able to distinguish their faces once she was through with them.

Maybe it would. She could find out right now…

But Azula had already had time to think about this. Execution would inevitably only satisfy her for a while before the grief set back in, more excruciating than before. No, there was a better way to stop the ache. By keeping them safely locked up, she could hold onto them. Even if they had already let her go. She could make sure that they never got away from her, they wouldn't have the chance. And in time, they would learn to fear her…if not love her…

Her eyes were wide now and Mai could see a flash of gold in them despite the darkness. All three of them heard the short, desperate breaths from their captor as she stood there, apparently, from their point of view, deciding the fastest way to kill them. Without moving the rest of his body, Zuko discreetly motioned his hand to Ty Lee.

Now the breathing stopped as a revelation hit the princess, a wave of reality crashing all around her, pounding in her ears. As painful as it was to admit, Azula realized that there _was _one thing she couldn't force them to do, that such a thing existed. No matter what she did, they would slip through her fingers again, continue to defy her as her efforts intensified, efforts that would unintentionally bring her two friends closer together. Push her further away.

Well if she couldn't force them, what could she do? Azula's mind flashed back the fateful day when the guards had held Mai in front of her for judgement. She remembered, for the first time in her life she hadn't _wanted _to deal out punishment. She had just wanted Mai to snap out of it, both of them. It shouldn't have to end like this, didn't they realize? Azula had chosen them, they were special…

She bit down on the inside of her cheeks to hold back the swell working it way up her throat. Her fists clenched to suppress the blue flame that licked and teased her fingertips.

They should have feared her more than to do something like this…

…they should have loved her more…

"Ty Lee, go!"

In an instant, the acrobat had flung herself across the cell straight into Azula, slamming the princess's back into the hard, unforgiving wall. Zuko, the one who had issued the command, was already on his feet and sending a well-aimed kick at the metal link connecting Mai's chain to the wall. The crumbling stone surrendered its grip on the metal with only a slight groan, a sound that was accompanied by Mai's sharp intake of breath through gritted teeth. She only had a second to watch the warm, thick blood ooze from the tiny cut on her wrist before she found herself lifted suddenly to her feet by strong arms that then proceeded to lead her quickly past Ty Lee and her hostage.

For a brief moment, Mai passed so close to Azula, she could have reached out and touched her, and as Zuko pulled her forward down the corridor, her eyes chanced a glance at the subdued princess.

It was the first good look at her she'd had since Azula's face had been shrouded in darkness. But now, in the light, it was easy to see the unkept hair that fell in her eyes, the faded make up that was half-heartedly applied…the dried streaks running down her reddened cheeks…

…and the look in her gold eyes as they pierced her, pleading for some forgotten truce, some unspoken understanding that had vanished when Mai had chosen Zuko over her…

Azula held her gaze, their eyes locked briefly, and then the moment was gone and she was being rushed passed rows and rows of endless hallways, each looking exactly like the one before it. Just when Mai was beginning to think the prince was lost, they turned sharply towards a flight of steps that led them into dazzling sunlight that burned her skin and hurt her eyes.

"_Finally!_ Geez, what took you long!?"

"Shhh! Sokka, they'll hear you!"

"They're gonna hear you both if you don't can it."

"Toph, help me lift her up…"

In the sea of unfamiliar voices, Mai thought she recognized the first two. She was fairly certain it was the two Water Tribe peasants that accompanied the Avatar, but her eyes weren't yet used to the glare of the sunlight to be sure.

"Careful, Aang, she's as blind as Toph right now."

"Watch it, Ponytail Boy…"

Once she was safely seated on the giant, hairy creature along with all the other voices, Mai reached out for who she thought was Zuko. The twice treasonous prince leaned forward to meet her half way, wrapping ivory arms around her waist.

"Aang let's get out of here," he called.

"Where's Ty Lee?" Mai murmured, turning her head over her shoulder to peer at him through squinted lids. Her eyes were gradually adjusting to the unfamiliar amount of light and she took the opportunity of their close proximity to study his facial features. He looked different from when she saw him last, older, changed somehow…

"I'm right here!" came an enthusiastic reassurance as Ty Lee plopped down beside her. She winked playfully at Sokka before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Oh Mai, you're gonna love Appa, he's so adorable! And he flies!"

"I've seen him."

"Oh I know, but it's so different when you're actually _riding_!"

Mai couldn't agree more. Just as she was finally able to see clearly, the giant bison lept into the air and she suddenly wished for her blindness to return. The view of the Boiling Rock Prison as it shrunk rapidly beneath them was daunting, and Mai found her fingers unconsciously gripped around Zuko's hand. But the sense of relief soon overcame her fear of heights as the dreadful rock became nothing more than a speck on the horizon. She took a breath and closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of cool, fresh wind rushing past her, drifting through her hair, kissing her cheeks...

"We did it Mai…" Ty Lee suddenly whispered by her ear. "We escaped…"

.

.

.

.

Days passed…

The feeling of freedom did not.

.

Shadows from the fire danced wildly on the old stone ruins of the Western Air Temple, every once in while one taking the shape of a bagdermole, the only shadow puppet Sokka could make. Mai was resting against what was left of a large stone pillar enjoying the argument that had erupted between Zuko and the Earthbender girl.

She blinked when Ty Lee suddenly appeared beside her, apparently bored of harassing the Kyoshi warrior about her boyfriend. The acrobat linked her arm around Mai's and leaned quietly against her shoulder. She pushed a piece of rubble around with her foot.

"That was scary, wasn't it?"

Mai knew she referring to the jailbreak.

"You did a good job holding her back." She couldn't bring herself to say the name out loud.

Ty Lee was silent for a few seconds.

"No I didn't. I barely touched her after I knocked her to the wall…"

Mai's head turned to look at her friend who stared solemnly over the cliff side. Her gray eyes were glazed over as she relived the memory.

"…she just stood there…I didn't even have to block her chi…"

The assassin's gaze followed the pink-clad girl as she stood, reaching over to pick up the rock she'd been playing with her foot. The stone was a piece from a brick that had once been part of the grand, magnificent Air Temple. Now it was small enough to fit in Ty Lee's hand. She held over the edge of the cliff.

"Are you saying she _let_ us go?"

Ty Lee rolled the stone around in her hand, ignoring the rough edges. She contemplated for a moment before responding.

"I think she knew it was a fight she couldn't win…"

"Or maybe she plans to use this to her advantage..."

"Maybe..."

Ty Lee sighed, peering one last time over the cliff. Then she let the stone piece slip through her fingers and tumble down into the abyss, falling all alone in the huge, misty expanse. She watched it go with tearful eyes. Of course, once it reached the bottom, it would join all the others that had fallen.

.

.

.

* * *

**A/N:** Phew! My first fanfic complete! Well, that was fun. I have _so_ many more ideas for stories about Mai and Ty Lee's interaction with the Gaang. And of course I'm not done with Azula either. I want to write more about her past and how she met her friends and all that good stuff.

Obviously the ship for this fic was Maiko, but Zutarians do not fret! In fact, you can count on some fics in the near future about Zuko's relationship with the Gaang, because I'm telling you, that episode where Katara confronts Zuko about keeping an eye on him and not letting him hurt Aang is just _begging_ for some fanfiction. Am I right?

Review! It's good for the soul. It'll make you sexy and thin. All the cool kids are doing it.


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